老人常見的營養問題－－以長期照護機構老年住民之經驗為例

Common Nutritional Problems in the Elderly: The Experience of Residents of a Long-Term Care Facility

老人營養問題為老人健康範疇中不容忽視的一環，在長期照護體系中具有關鍵性之定位。隨著人口的高齡化、疾病型態的慢性化、健康問題的障礙化、照護內容的複雜化及照護時閒的長期化菁過程及結果，使得老人長期照護負擔日趨況重，所有與其相關之問題亦普受波及，營養問題為其中之一影響老年人之營養問題因子既多且錐，機構中的老年住民具有相當的代表性，也較具可近性，可作為探討問題之重要窗口。掌握老人營養問題之內容、界定、成因、以及定期執行營養評估，隨時檢討修正機構中老年住民的飲食營養內容，並積極落實介入改善之道，可使之符合老人之法本與特珠之營養需求，在長期照護之實務中佔有極為重要一席之地。老人營養問題常因不當攝食引起的營養不足、過度攝食所引起的營養過剩、特殊營養素的缺乏、以及不正常比例攝食所引起的不均街現象等；其相關因素包括老化引起的生理變化、疾病狀況、藥物、經濟來源、社會支持等。

Nutrition is an unavoidable issue throughout the field of long-term care, occupying a key position in the system. Along with the current trends of population aging, chronic changes in morbidity, functional impairment of health, progressive complexity of care content, the elongation of the caring period and the consequences of these trends, the long-term care burden has become more challenging than ever. Nutrition is just one of many key issues presented by these challenges. The factors associated with nutritional problems are numerous and complex. Residents of long-term care facilities are both representative of elderly people generally and reasonably approachable, and therefore constitute a suitable sample for investigation. Tb grasp and define the causes of the nutritional problems, conduct periodic nutritional assessments, monitor diet & nutrition, and actively intervene to improve these areas, can be regarded as necessary if the needs of basic and advanced nutrition are to be met, and nutrition is to take its rightful place in the practice of long-term care. Nutritional problems usually consist of malnutrition from inappropriate intake, over-nutrition from over-intake, deficiency of special nutrients, and imbalance of intake from inappropriate ratio of food components. Associated factors include physiological change, morbid condition, medication, financial support and social support.